Online Marketplace Helps Holiday Shoppers Give Back One Purchase at a Time

What could be more fulfilling this holiday season than giving a gift that keeps on giving? Whether that means finding a great deal on the perfect present, giving back to your community through your gift purchases, or earning a bit of extra cash for yourself during the holidays, the season provides endless opportunities to give back, earn more, and feel great about your holiday shopping. DonorNation, the Marketplace with a Heart™, enables online shoppers the opportunity to accomplish all of this from the comfort of their own home.

DonorNation, a philanthropic, e-commerce marketplace is helping out holiday shoppers by offering great deals on kids’ bikes, toys, theater tickets, electronics and more, while also benefitting neighborhood schools. DonorNation works like any other e-commerce site, such as Amazon or eBay, except that with each purchase, a portion of the sale price is donated to the local school of the buyer’s or seller’s choice.

“It’s getting to be very difficult to ask parents to write checks for local schools, time and time again,” said Karim Pirani, founder and CEO of DonorNation. “DonorNation allows parents to clean out their garage and basement and convert those unused or unwanted items into cash for local schools. Local businesses also have access to our easy-to-use platform to market and sell their goods and services and give back to the community at the same time.”

More than 80 schools across San Diego County have already registered on DonorNation’s platform, earning thousands of dollars that have gone directly back to much-needed school programs, staff positions and parent-teacher associations. With each new holiday purchase on DonorNation, a local school earns anywhere from 10% to nearly 100% of the proceeds from the sale.

“Nothing is more important than making sure our future generations receive a high-quality education,” said Pirani. “By fostering community involvement, not only are we supporting schools in a very tangible way; we are also bolstering local businesses, providing an outlet for merchants to promote their businesses and providing a foundation for the community to join hands and give back this holiday season.”

DonorNation’s e-commerce solution helps unlock the power of the community by connecting merchants, consumers, schools and neighborhoods to its online marketplace. Registration on DonorNation is entirely free. Sellers list an item or service of their choosing, as well as select the percentage of the sale price they wish to be donated to schools. Proceeds are allocated to the school of your choice, or you may allow the buyer to choose a school. There is no up-front cost to individuals or business for posting items on DonorNation. As a shopper, you are supporting local schools every time you purchase an item or service, on the DonorNation marketplace.

"Each year my Christmas list for others gets bigger and bigger and finding the right gift is challenging" said Diana Barnes, Program Development Coordinator at Harmonium, Inc. "I love how DonorNation not only has a wide variety of products, but also different discounted services, gift certificates, and even tickets to different events. I purchased a trampoline for only $50 for my nephews that they are going to love! And the fact that a portion of the money I spent goes to a school in my community, the McGill School of Success, makes it win-win for everyone!"

To kick off 2014, DonorNation is hosting an extra special holiday auction to gear up for a brand new year of giving! Thanks to the generous support of a local San Diego couple, one winning bidder will enjoy a three-night stay at a luxurious 2-bedroom, 2.5-bath 2,200-square-foot Panorama Towers condo right in the heart of Las Vegas, all while helping out the San Diego school of their choice. The bidding function is one of the latest features launched on DonorNation, Many more auction items are expected in 2014 with up to 100% proceeds benefiting local San Diego County schools and non-profits.